How public opinion has shifted in Trump’s first 100 days

Summary

Apple News Today: How Public Opinion Has Shifted in Trump’s First 100 Days
Release Date: April 28, 2025
Host: Shemitah Basu

---

Introduction

In the April 28, 2025 episode of Apple News Today, host Shemitah Basu delves into the evolving landscape of American public opinion during President Donald Trump's initial 100 days in office. The episode not only examines Trump's shifting approval ratings but also explores significant immigration policies, a pivotal Canadian election influenced by Trump's presidency, and highlights from global and sporting events.

---

Immigration Crackdowns Across the U.S.

The episode opens with a detailed account of recent aggressive immigration enforcement actions nationwide:

• Colorado Nightclub Arrests: Basu reports that 114 immigrants were apprehended at a nightclub in Colorado, marking one of the largest single-day arrests of individuals without legal status since Trump's return to office. These individuals were deported following processing by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

• Florida ICE Operations: In Florida, ICE arrested nearly 800 immigrants over a week-long initiative. This operation was notable for the first collaboration between federal agents and local law enforcement under a formal agreement, signaling a heightened commitment to immigration enforcement.

---

Arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan

A major news story covered is the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan:

• Incident Details: On Friday, the FBI arrested Judge Dugan for allegedly obstructing an immigration proceeding by facilitating the escape of an individual with a deportation order. The suspect was later apprehended after fleeing on foot.

• Legal and Political Repercussions: Dugan appeared in court and was released on bail. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized that “no one is above the law” (01:45), sparking significant controversy.

• Backlash and Analysis: Democratic leaders condemned the arrest, leading to protests in Wisconsin. Andrew Weissman, a legal analyst and former DOJ prosecutor, commented on MSNBC:

  “It's going to be so hard to prove... it's really about sending a message.” (02:31)
  Furthermore, Harry Anton, CNN’s chief data analyst, added:
  “It's fighting the last branch of government to oppose the executive branch.” (02:57)

• Defense of the Arrest: Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the DOJ’s actions on Fox News, asserting that the administration would prosecute judges who obstruct their efforts.

---

Deportation of U.S. Citizen Children

The episode highlights a distressing case involving the deportation of three young U.S. citizens:

• The Families: A 2-year-old, a 4-year-old, and a 7-year-old child were deported alongside their mothers to Honduras. Notably, the 4-year-old has stage 4 cancer and was removed without access to necessary medications or medical consultations.

• Father's Attempt to Halt Deportation: The father of the 2-year-old filed an emergency court motion to stop the deportation, but the flight had already departed by the time the court convened.

• Government Response: Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed these deportations on NBC's Meet the Press, rejecting claims of wrongdoing and asserting that all individuals, regardless of citizenship status, are entitled to due process.

• Clarification by Harry Anton:

  “The children are U.S. Citizens and can return if someone here assumes them. Ultimately, their mothers were deported for being here illegally.” (03:55)

---

Public Opinion on Trump's First 100 Days

Transitioning to the central theme, Basu examines how public sentiment towards President Trump has evolved during his first 100 days:

Approval Ratings and Public Sentiment

• Initial Approval: Trump's approval at the outset of his second term mirrored the start of his first presidency. However, unlike the enduring honeymoon phase experienced by many presidents, Trump's approval ratings saw a rapid decline.

• Current Disapproval: According to the New York Times average of the latest polls, over 50% of Americans now disapprove of Trump's performance, with approval ratings sinking into the mid-40s, marking a drop of approximately 8 percentage points.

• Harry Anton's Insights:

  “It's one of the quickest falls that we've seen... Trump is underwater, with his disapproval rating above his approval rating.” (05:18)
  “The public is in the negative. He's in the red.” (08:28)

Economic Policies and Public Perception

• Economic Management: While the economy was a stronghold during Trump's first term, his handling has been criticized in his second term. Major issues include:

  • Trade Wars: Trump's aggressive trade policies, especially the 25% tariff on Canadian imports, have adversely affected the economy, according to pollster Harry Anton:

    “He took his eye off the ball. The number one issue is the economy, specifically inflation.” (07:01)

  • Inflation and Cost of Living: Public approval of Trump's economic management has plummeted, with his handling of trade, inflation, and the cost of living receiving harsh criticism.

• Government Spending Cuts: Efforts to shrink the government and reduce spending, in collaboration with Elon Musk, have been largely unpopular:

  “It is popular in the abstract to cut government spending, but the way Trump has allowed Elon Musk to go about it has absolutely hurt his brand.” (07:46)

Other Policy Areas

• Trans Issues: Trump has gained approval for his stance on transgender issues, particularly his move to block trans girls and women from participating in girls' and women's sports.

• Immigration: While still a contentious topic, Trump's policies on immigration have seen a slight dip in approval:

  “Handling of immigration is starting to dip, but it's early in the term.” (08:30)

Demographic Shifts in Support

• Core Base vs. Broader Demographics: While Trump's core base remains steadfast, his support has significantly eroded among independents, young people, and Hispanic Americans, groups that were crucial to his 2024 election victory.

• Economic Concerns as Primary Drivers: The public's dissatisfaction centers largely on economic mismanagement, particularly uncertainties introduced by trade wars and rising inflation.

---

The Pivotal Canadian Election

Basu shifts focus to Canada’s national elections, highlighting its intersection with Trump’s policies:

• Election Context: Just three months prior, Conservative candidate Pierre Poiliev led by 20 points amidst a platform centered on Canada first, drawing parallels to Trump's political style.

• Impact of Trump’s Trade Policies: Trump's 25% tariffs on Canadian imports severely strained the Canadian economy, creating a political backlash that shifted the election dynamics from a probable Conservative landslide to a competitive race between Poiliev and Liberal incumbent Mark Carney.

• Expert Analysis by Althea Raj:

  “The polls have swung like 30 points. We've never seen anything like this.” (09:37)
  Raj attributes Carney’s rise to effectively countering Poiliev’s Trump-like rhetoric and emphasizing unity over divisiveness, which resonated with voters concerned about economic stability and national identity.

• Candidates’ Strategies:

  • Mark Carney: Presented himself as a pragmatist and candidate of unity, leveraging his experience leading major banks to appeal to centrist and traditionally Conservative voters.
  • Pierre Poiliev: Portrayed as the change candidate, but his association with Trump’s divisive policies and rhetoric hurt his appeal among voters seeking stability.

• Election Challenges:
  Raj notes that regardless of the outcome, Canada faces long-standing issues such as housing shortages, strained social services, and structural deficits, exacerbated by political polarization akin to that in the United States.

---

Additional News Highlights

The episode also touches upon significant international and sporting events:

• Vancouver Festival Tragedy:

  • At least 11 people died when a man rammed his SUV into a crowd during the Filipino Lapu Lapu Day festival.
  • The suspect, with a history of mental health issues, was apprehended, and authorities ruled out terrorism.
  • Vancouver’s interim police chief described it as "the darkest day in Vancouver's history."

• Vatican and Global Diplomacy:

  • Pope Francis’s funeral saw U.S. President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky engage in war talks at St. Peter's Basilica, their first meeting since a contentious Oval Office encounter.
  • Post-meeting, Trump questioned Russia’s peace intentions with Ukraine, leading to fresh sanctions discussions as Russia continued military actions in Ukraine.

• European Soccer Achievements:

  • Liverpool FC secured its record-tying 20th English Premier League title, overcoming managerial changes with dominance towards the season's end.
  • Wrexham AFC, under celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, achieved their third consecutive promotion, positioning them on the brink of joining the Premier League and revitalizing the local community.

---

Closing Notes

Shemitah Basu wraps up the episode by directing listeners to the Apple News app for comprehensive coverage of these stories and previews an upcoming interview with Brian Goldstone, who explores the challenges faced by working individuals unable to secure stable housing despite full-time employment.

---

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode, providing a clear and detailed overview for those who haven't had the chance to listen.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning. It's Monday, April 28th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News today. On today's show, how Americans feel about Trump's first 100 days in office. A major election in Canada and Wrexham, the Welsh soccer club is just one step away from the Premier League Foreign. But first, there have been some big immigration crackdowns across the country in recent days. Yesterday in Colorado, NPR reports, 114 immigrants were arrested at a nightclub. Drug Enforcement Administration officials on X said those individuals were placed on buses for processing and likely eventual deportation. NPR is calling it one of the largest single day arrests of people without legal status since Trump returned to office. And in Florida, ICE arrested close to 800 immigrants in a week long effort. The arrests started a week ago and marked the first time federal agents worked in partnership with local law enforcement in Florida under a formal agreement to make immigration arrests. And some other major immigration stories made headlines, too. On Friday, the FBI arrested a judge in Milwaukee for allegedly escorting a man out of a side door when she learned ICE agents were waiting for him. The man, an immigrant who had a deportation order against him and was in court on battery charges, was later apprehended after being chased on foot. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan is charged with obstructing and impeding an immigration proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest. Dugan appeared in court on Friday and was released on bail. FBI Director Kash Patel posted an image on X of Dugan being arrested, writing, quote, no one is above the law. Her arrest drew immediate backlash from Democratic leaders and sparked protests in Wisconsin over the weekend. Hundreds gathered outside different FBI offices in Milwaukee in support of Dugan and immigrants regarding the charges against Dugan. MSNBC legal analyst and former top DOJ prosecutor Andrew Weissman was on the network saying that in addition to a tough legal case for the government, what this was really about is sending a message.

[Harry Anton]

I can't imagine this case is going to hold up for a whole variety of factual and legal reasons. It's going to be so hard to prove. Even if you could somehow show this was the judge's intent was to obstruct, why would you possibly do this? And the answer is because we want to send a signal to the judiciary. And that's what you shouldn't be doing. I mean, that is fighting the last branch of government to oppose the executive branch.

[Shemitah Basu]

Attorney General Pam Bondi defended Dugan's arrest on Fox News, saying, the DOJ is sending a, quote, very strong message to judges that they will be prosecuted if they obstruct the administration's efforts. And lastly, three children from two different families, a 2 year old, a 4 year old and a 7 year old, all of whom are US citizens, were deported on Friday. The Washington Post reports the children were all deported with their mothers to Honduras. The Post also reports the 4 year old has stage 4 cancer and was removed without medication or the chance for their family to talk to their doctor beforehand. The father of the two year old also sought to stop the deportation in an emergency court filing on Thursday, but the removal flight had already taken off by the time the court opened the next morning. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about these deportations directly on Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. He refuted the notion that Anything nefarious.

[Harry Anton]

Happened 3 US citizens ages 4, 7 and 2 were not deported. Their mothers who are legally in this country were deported. The children went with their mothers. Those children are US Citizens. They can come back into the United States if there's their father or someone here who wants to assume them. But ultimately who was deported was their mother, who's their mothers who were here illegally. The children just went with their mothers.

[Shemitah Basu]

Rubio also said in that interview, all citizens and non citizens are entitled to due process. The Trump administration, however, has come under fire for ignoring due process rights for many people who have been deported or detained. Trump himself last week posted on social media, we cannot give everyone a trial because to do so would take, without exaggeration, 200 years. Let's turn now to a major milestone. This week marks 100 days since President Trump took office for his second term. And all week we'll be examining his impact so far on the nation. Today we start with public opinion. Trump's initial job approval rating when taking office for the second time was about where it was at the start of his first term. And like many presidents, Trump's honeymoon period didn't last long, but his drop off was more pronounced.

[Harry Anton]

It's one of the quickest falls that we've seen, really only matched by what we saw in Trump back in 2017.

[Shemitah Basu]

That's Harry Anton, the chief data analyst for CNN.

[Harry Anton]

You look across the board, different poll data, and you see that Trump is underwater. That is his disapproval rating is above his approval rating.

[Shemitah Basu]

More than half of people say they disapprove of the job Trump is doing in office. That's according to the New York Times average of the latest polls. Meanwhile, the share of people who approve of the president's performance is down into the mid-40s a drop of about 8 percentage points per the New York Times average. Since he took office, most polls show his base still strongly behind him. But certain polls show his numbers fell disproportionately among independents, young people, and Hispanic Americans, all groups that he generally overperformed with in the 2024 election. When you look at his numbers, group by group and issue by issue, he's lost meaningful support among the communities and on the issues that won him the election.

[Harry Anton]

In Donald Trump's first term, his strength was the economy. Then in his second term, it's his Waterloo. It is very clear, looking at the data, that the way that he has handled, for instance, the trade wars with China, with Canada, with Mexico, with the entire world, really has really had an impact on his popularity.

[Shemitah Basu]

Fewer people approve of his handling of the economy than approve of the job he's doing. Overall. While he's in the mid-40s, overall, he's been in the low 40s or even high 30s on the economy, and people graded him even more harshly on trade and more harshly still on inflation and the cost of living. Anton says the data paints a clear picture of where Americans think Trump is going wrong.

[Harry Anton]

I think he took his eye off the ball. The number one issue is the economy. The number one issue within the economy is inflation. All of a sudden, you go off and start a trade war that was, at least according to the polling data, completely unnecessary, and you hurt the economy. You put a lot of uncertainty into the economy. And that, to me, is almost the entire ball game.

[Shemitah Basu]

The public is also largely unhappy with Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to shrink the government and slash spending. A Fox News survey from March found nearly six in 10 people disapproved of how the Trump administration is identifying and reducing spending they consider wasteful. And almost 2/3 said not enough thought and planning was going into cuts.

[Harry Anton]

It is popular in the abstract to cut government spending, but the way Donald Trump has allowed Elon Musk to go about it has absolutely hurt, absolutely hurt Donald Trump's brand.

[Shemitah Basu]

At the other end of the spectrum, Americans have generally been more approving of Trump's handling of trans issues, particularly his effort to block trans girls and women from girls and women's sports. And recent polling from AP Nork and from the Washington Post, ABC Ipsos shows his approval rating on his handling of immigration is starting to dip. That said, Enten says the early verdict from the American people is clear.

[Harry Anton]

Overall, he's certainly in the negative. He's in the red.

[Shemitah Basu]

But just remember, it's early. We're just about 100 days into a four year term. Now to Canada, where voters go to the polls today to elect a new government in the middle of one of the most dramatic polls political turnarounds in recent memory. Just three months ago, the Conservative candidate Pierre Poiliev appeared to be headed toward a landslide victory that would make him the next prime minister. The previous prime minister, Justin Trudeau, resigned back in January as his popularity plummeted. And around that time Poiev had a 20 point lead with his Canada first platform and a political style that's somewhat similar to President Trump's. But it was Trump's presidency and specifically the global trade war he started, which heavily hit Canada with a 25% tariff on all imports, that turned the political climate on its head. And now this election between Poiliev and the current prime minister, Mark Carney from the Liberal Party is much more of a toss up.

[Althea Raj]

This is an election like no other in Canadian history. The polls have swung like 30 points. We've never seen anything like this.

[Shemitah Basu]

That's Toronto Star columnist and political journalist Althea Raj, who's been deeply embedded with both campaigns. She says Poliev still has a path to victory, but it's Carney who now has the polling edge. In large part, Raj says, due to.

[Althea Raj]

Trump and not just that he came back in the White House and his divisive rhetoric that reminded people that maybe Mr. Poiliev, the conservative leader, resembles Donald Trump. But it was his threats to annex Canada, his talk of Canada as the 51st state, the sense of Canadian pride, think how are we as a country going to defend ourselves against Donald Trump and Mark Carney and the Liberals who had the benefit of incumbency, grabbed on to Donald Trump threat and presented themselves as the party who could be trusted because they are nothing like Donald Trump.

[Shemitah Basu]

Carney previously led the banks of Canada and England and he likes to say he is a pragmatist, not a politician. Raj says he has tried to present himself as the candidate of unity, whereas Polievre considers himself the change candidate. And Carney has been successful at pulling otherwise Conservative leaning voters toward the center.

[Althea Raj]

And because the threat seems to be on the economy, how to manage Canada's economy if we are no longer dependent on the Americans? He has the best CV that could guide Canada through this crisis.

[Shemitah Basu]

Both parties are offering tough on Trump policies. They've each said they want to diversify energy supplies away from the both want more money for defense and both have promised retaliatory tariffs and support for the industries that have been hit hardest by Trump's tariffs. Trump has a clear favorite candidate and it's not who you might expect. He has praised Carney and attacked Poliev, but regardless of the shadow he has cast on these campaigns so far, Raj points out many of the challenges Canada's next prime minister will inherit are long standing issues that predate Trump's presidency.

[Althea Raj]

We don't have enough houses for the number of people that we have. We have the stress on social services. We are running structural deficits. I think there will also be hang ups just in terms of political ideology, just like we see in the United States in terms of political division. We have a lot of Canadians are not reading the same news anymore. They don't believe in the same set of facts and that means that they don't believe that the same problems exist.

[Shemitah Basu]

Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following continuing in Canada. Authorities in Vancouver say at least 11 people are dead after a man in an SUV rammed into a crowd Saturday night during the Filipino Lapu Lapu Day festival. Vancouver police ruled out terrorism and say the suspect, who is in custody, has a history of mental health issues. Vancouver's interim police chief called it the darkest day in Vancouver's history. Pope Francis was laid to rest on Saturday, but some of the focus at the Vatican centered on President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who held war talks in the halls of St. Peter's Basilica just before the funeral started. It was the first time the two leaders met face to face since a disastrous Oval Office meeting where Trump berated Zelenskyy in front of reporters in February. Trump and Zelenskyy both called the meeting productive. Afterward, Trump openly questioned whether Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to strike a peace deal with Ukraine and floated the idea of new sanctions against Russia. Secretary Rubio said Sunday on NBC, this will be a critical week that will determine whether the US Remains in talks to end the war. Meanwhile, Russia carried out drone attacks and airstrikes on Ukraine just hours after Zelensky and Trump met. And finally to European soccer. On Sunday, Liverpool captured its record tying 20th English Premier League title. The season began with big doubts for the club as its longtime manager left. The team, however, was able to capture the league title convincingly with four matches left to play in the season. Meanwhile, it was also a big day for Wrexham, who are now just one step away from the Premier League as the team secured its third straight promotion. On Sunday. The Welsh club's celebrity owners, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny are credited with breathing new life not only into the Long Ailing Club, but the city of Wrexham itself. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the news app, right now we've got an episode of our weekly interview show in conversation for you. My guest is Brian Goldstone, who writes about a growing group of people who are often overlooked in the homeless count, people who work a full time job but can't afford stable housing. That's queued up for you to listen to next. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.